[Legacy post: Small Business Talent] My guest on the podcast today is Tony Vengrove. Like many successful entrepreneurs, Tony started his career in the corporate world. In fact, he spent 20+ years working in a variety of advertising, marketing and innovation roles for major ad agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and global corporations including Boehringer Ingelheim and Altria Group.
In early 2012, Tony launched his own firm, Miles Finch Innovation. Today he puts his decades of marketing and innovation experience to work helping clients to create more efficient and productive innovation organizations. Tony collaborates with innovation teams to uncover key consumer insights, generate new product concepts and connect ideas to technologies, manufacturing capabilities and thought leaders. Using a proprietary teaching tool that he developed — called the Idea Climate Equation® — Tony coaches and mentors individuals on the principles of creativity, leadership and innovation.
In the course of this candid interview, Tony shares:
- What innovation really means in practical, non-esoteric terms
- Why all entrepreneurs need to embrace creativity and innovation
- The advantages of seeking out new ideas across diverse industries
- How self-awareness and quieting mental chatter enhances creativity
So what can small business owners and solo entrepreneurs learn from Tony about tapping the power of creative thinking and innovation? Quite a lot! (Scroll down to the Podcast Player and listen-in now.)
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Plan for Success: Tim Berry on Growing Your Small Business
[Legacy post: Small Business Talent] What would you like to accomplish this year? Just as important, how will you get there? My guest on today’s podcast is Tim Berry — a world-class expert on business planning and he’s here to help.
What do other top experts think about Tim and his work? Well, Guy Kawasaki made Tim his business plan expert in How to Write a Business Plan. Pamela Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, calls Tim the Obi-wan Kenobe of business planning. As if that weren’t enough, Tim is also the business planning coach at Entrepreneur.com.
Tim is the author of The Plan-as-you-go Business Plan and other books on planning published by Harcourt Brace, McGraw-Hill, and Dow Jones-Irwin. He’s the principal author of Business Plan Pro. He’s also co-author of 3 Weeks to Startup, published in 2008 by Entrepreneur Press; and author of Sales and Market Forecasting for Entrepreneurs, published in 2010 by Business Expert Press, and Hurdle: the Book on Business Planning.
Lastly, Tim is founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of Bplans.com, and co-founder of Borland International. (By the way, he built Palo Alto Software from zero to 40 employees, multimillion dollar sales, no debt, and 70% market share without any outside investment.)
Bottom-line: Tim is a seasoned entrepreneur and a true expert in the field of business planning. As you look forward to creating a successful 2014, you’ll benefit from the practical wisdom and cutting-edge resources that he shares with you today. (Scroll down to the Podcast Player and listen now!)
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Pam Slim on Entrepreneurship, Community, and Her New Book: ‘Body of Work’
[Legacy post: Small Business Talent] Thousands of entrepreneurs have discovered Pamela Slim through her excellent blog, and her award winning book, Escape from Cubicle Nation. Today I’m pleased to have her join me on the podcast!
Pam is an author, speaker, and a highly experienced coach. She’s often quoted on the topic of entrepreneurship in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Money Magazine, Entrepreneur and Psychology Today. Over the years, she has created an impressive body of work — and helped people around the world to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality.
Today Pam will be sharing her hard-won business wisdom with us, and pulling back the curtain on her new book, Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together.
As business owners, what can we learn from Pam and the community of clients that she has created over the years? Quite a lot. So don’t miss this valuable information. (Scroll down to the Podcast Player and have a listen now!)
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